By Ken Afor
Despite facing numerous criminal charges, Donald Trump emerged victorious in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday, solidifying his control over the party and reaffirming his intention to challenge President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.
In the upcoming November election, Trump secured more than half of the votes, positioning himself for a highly contested and contentious campaign against Democrat candidate Biden.
According to reports by the Toronto Star, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, aged 45, trailed behind Trump in second place in Iowa, narrowly surpassing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, as neither of them emerged as the primary contender.
Trump, 77, stands as the only former U.S. president to face criminal charges. His remarkable triumph in the Iowa Republican contest, with an unparalleled margin, further solidifies his position as the inevitable nominee, considering his commanding lead in nationwide surveys.
Based on the data from Edison Research, Trump secured an impressive 51% of the votes, while DeSantis trailed behind with 21% and Haley with 19%. With 99% of the expected votes counted, this victory margin far exceeds the previous record set by Bob Dole in 1988, which stood at 12.8 percentage points, according to Reuters.
“Thank you Iowa, I love you all!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He aims to expedite the typically lengthy Republican selection process by securing a series of compelling early primary victories, in order to eliminate his competitors.
Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, decided to withdraw his unlikely presidential campaign after securing a modest 8% of the vote on Monday. In a surprising move, he also expressed his support for Trump.
The candidates will promptly proceed to New Hampshire on Tuesday. The state’s relatively moderate Republicans will select their nominee next Tuesday, and recent polls indicate that Trump has a narrower advantage over Haley in that region, while DeSantis lags significantly behind.
